Playing with Fire
by Milieva
Summary: Searching for amusement, Umi asks Clef an outlandish question, but learns an answer she never expected.


_"There are two sides to every question"_

-_Protagoras_-

* * *

**Playing with Fire**

Umi settled into her chair she flipped a few pages into the book that Clef had lent her as reading practice. The Cephirian alphabet was rather simple next to her Japanese writing system. There were only forty-two letters to learn. It was the looping nature of the letters was confusing, but she was willing to admit that Clef's trade was far worse. She was attempting to teach him the hundreds of characters he needed to read a simple newspaper.

She glanced over at the desk. Papers were strewn everywhere. Sitting in the center of the pile, was Clef. His hair all askew, headdress laying discarded on the corner, he mumbled to himself as he wrote.

This visit had been rather boring. It seemed that everyone was more engaged in spending time with a love interest, leaving Umi on to her own devices. The one person she was left with was a very busy guru, who didn't give her more than a few moments attention when he was so distracted. It wasn't that she didn't know what to do while she was alone; it was the fact that she preferred company. This was why the water knight was absorbed in two highly involving clubs at school.

This definitely wouldn't do.

She was dying for some form of amusement. Something was needed to get Clef's mind off of his work. Maybe if she could think of a rather absurd question.

For the next half an hour, the water knight pondered what the most distracting question she could ask would be. Given the tension that had existed between the two since Clef had taken on his adult form, something in regards to sexuality might do the trick. But what was the most uncomfortable question she could ask, without killing him?

With an evil grin on her face, she approached the desk with the pretense of stealth.

"May I help you?" Clef asked of the magic knight as she crouched beside his chair.

Suddenly, Umi found great interest in the text he was copying. "I wanted to see."

She smiled at him, innocently.

"No, you want something." The mage stated as he set his pen down, and turned to look at his companion. "Your expression gives you away."

Umi laughed. "You know me too well."

"Let's have it. I would like to get back to my work." He looked as frustrated as he sounded. She had been a bit more tiresome lately.

"I was wondering…" She stopped. What was it she was going to ask? Clef had caught her off guard by looking up.

"You were wondering what?" The mage prompted, trying to move this conversation along all the faster.

"I don't remember right now."

Letting loose a groan, Clef picked up his pen and dipped it in the ink before tracing out the next word.

Umi sat back on her heals as if she were pondering something philosophical and powerful. After a few moments she sat back up. "Oh right! Now I remember."

Not even looking up, Clef sighed, but remained silent. All the useless questions she has posed recently were beginning to drive him mad. He had rather enjoyed it when she was truly inquisitive, but this was more of a point of getting attention. So many times he had neglected his projects to entertain her, but she needed to learn that she was not the most important person in the world.

Resting her head on arms crossed over the edge of the table, Umi played with the edge of a nearby piece of parchment. "Clef, what does an erection feel like?"

The pen froze, and the soft sound of Clef's breathing ceased. Had she killed him? Was he too old for such a shock and suffered a heart attack?

"Clef?"

The mage muttered a few nonsensical syllables in reply as he regained some brain function. That was not the type of question he was expecting.

Unable to look at her, Clef set his pen down and uttered his question in a rasp barely above a whisper. "Why would you need to know that?"

Umi smiled, the distraction had begun.

"Curiosity's sake. As I am physically unable to experience one, I was just wondering."

"And may I ask what spurred this…" He paused to clear his throat and run a hand through his hair. "Particular thought?"

"Well, you see, when all of the girls get together and relax in the bath house, strange conversations arise."

Umi sat back on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. "Well recently, Caldina made a few comments about Cephiro's customs and laws, the majority were about the regulations of intercourse."

Clef found himself having to avert his eyes from the knight. Her position was causing his thoughts to muddle more than the question. With the way her legs were pulled up, her skirt fell out away from her, leaving much of her legs bare. The angle of his seat in relation to hers, gave the mage a fine view of her outer thigh.

"What exactly did she say?"

"Oh, just that whole bit about the pledging yourself in that fashion."

Hoping this was going to veer far enough off the first topic, Clef decided to go with it. Law was a strong point of his knowledge. "Do you have problem with that idea?"

"Yes… and no."

"Why the division?" Why wasn't he simply ushering her out for the first question?"

"In my world, it doesn't matter, same with Chizeta. You can give yourself to any man and it doesn't have to mean a thing the next day. Yet, here, you are bound by law to stay with that one person you go so far with. What if you aren't ready to commit like that just yet?"

The mage listened intently, unsure of how to reply, but thankfully Umi continued.

"But I also agree with the idea all the same. Because I plan to give myself only to the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. No one else.

"Those are very similar to my own thoughts. The last bit, at least."

"But…"

"I am not free to do such things?"

Umi nodded and opened her mouth to speak again, but Clef cut her off.

"Our entire world has changed, why should the law not also change?" He chuckled lightly; though deep down, he knew that the obstacles of putting such a change into motion would be nearly insurmountable.

"We are getting off topic, and you still haven't answered my question."

"I happen to have been trying to avoid answering that."

"Obviously."

Clef placed a marker at his page and shut the volume he had been copying. This was definitely all the work he would be getting done today.

"I believe that your actual want is far greater than the want of the educated answer to the question you have posed me."

"Why would you think that I would have an ulterior motive?"

"Because you are you, I am myself, and anything that involves you asking me a question has a secondary motive more times than not."

Umi shifted on the floor slightly. She was not appreciating the mage's accusation.

"So you always think I am up to something if I ask you a simple question?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean? That I am not trust worthy? That I am two faced?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Clef looked down at her. "I never purposefully insinuated such things. I merely meant I know you wanted something else. And there are many times you have come in here wanting something else, but you still refuse to ask those questions."

"The questions I want to ask…"

"Yes. Those questions. I fear they may not have the answers you want. But I will try to answer them as well as I can."

Umi was silent for a time. She just sat there and stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. Clef wasn't entirely sure how to approach her. The knight had come to him many nights complaining of nightmares and the like. More than once she cried, but this was different. He didn't know how, but it definitely was. Very carefully, as if she were a wounded animal that might lash out if provoked, the mage kneeled down before her.

"Umi…" He reached out and took her hands. His heart ached in his chest. He knew what ailed her, and it made him sick with grief. But he wanted to be wrong.

The knight curled into herself as she sat on the floor, but allowed Clef to take her hands. Her breathing shuttered as she tried to fight back sobs. She bit so hard onto her lip as she dropped her head, Clef feared she might do herself harm.

"You'll make yourself sick." He ran gentle fingers through her hair.

But Umi would not be soothed. If anything Clef's touch just made things worse.

Without warning, the water knight threw her arms around Clef and buried her head in his chest.

Slowly, the mage let himself answer with an embrace of his own. His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" Umi choked.

"I am sorry that I cannot tell you what you want to hear."

"I want you, Clef. Just you." She sobbed.

Tears silently fell into the knight's hair. One of them had finally said it. But Clef knew he couldn't encourage this relationship, because anything further was treason to his post.

"I know." He brushed his lips across her cheek. "I know."

Umi lifted her head and looked him straight in the eyes, tears streaming down her face. "I want to know…" She choked on the words. "I want to know if you feel the same."

"I cannot."

"Clef…" Her lip quivered in betrayal.

"I'm sor…" The mage's words were cut off by Umi's mouth against his. It took a few seconds for him to regain from his shock of surprise, but Clef returned her kiss just as ardently as it was given.

"I may be angry that you are too pigheaded to change stupid laws that have no purpose. I may be frustrated about everything that has happened between us. But, damn it, Clef, I am_ not_ sorry that I love you."

Fin

AN: This idea was spawned by my reading the question Umi posed in an amusing community over at livejournal. But the way it spiraled out was completely unexpected. I suppose the odd relationship my Umi and Clef have must have had some sort of beginning that involved a confession of love on one side, at least.

Reviews are love, and let me know that people enjoy my works. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading.


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